The five-member Planning Commission is appointed by the City Council to carry out a variety of delegated functions. State law sets out the areas over which the Planning Commission has authority, either as a decision-making body or advisory to the City Council.

The Commission is responsible for recommending broad development policies to the City Council, and once adopted in the form of the City's General Plan, for reviewing development applications for their conformance to the General Plan. The Commission acts as an advisory body to the City Council on applications for subdivision of land (including condominiums) and, absent an appeal to the City Council, is the final authority over a variety of discretionary development applications (Conditional Use Permits, Development Plan Review Permits, etc.), variances from the zoning regulations (sitting as the Board of Zoning Appeals) and for the environmental assessment of such applications, as proscribed by law.

As the City's Planning Agency, the Planning Commission also sits as the review panel for state and federally mandated programs.